Feast of Our Lady of the Audience

The feast in honor of Our Lady of the Audience has been celebrated at Holy Rosary for over seventy years. At present the celebration is pretty humble compared to the feast in the town of Sambuca di Sicilia, Sicily where it originated.

Who is Our Lady of the Lady of the Audience?

According to tradition, in 1575 a terrible plague threatened the lives of the people in the village of Sambuca di Sicilia, Sicily. Medical science was unable to find a cure and people were dying daily. People gave up hope in medical science and the whole town gathered in prayer before the statue of Our Lady. The statue was in a church before the statue of Our Lady of the Audience asking her to save their village; their prayers were answered, the plague ended and the statue of Our Lady of the Audience was brought in procession along the streets of the village with great devotion and joy. It became an annual celebration. The feast was preceded by a novena of prayers and on the day of the feast there was a solemn mass, procession with prayer and music through the streets of Sambuca and it concluded with a festival of food, music, games and fireworks with the participation of people from the neighboring towns.

When the Sicilians migrated to Kansas City the family of Tony and Sara Molle, the grandparents of Frank & Joann Molle brought a replica of the statue of Our Lady of the Audience to Holy Rosary. They initiated the feast in our parish which became an annual celebration with Mass, processions, festival and great joy.

The Feast of Our Lady of the Audience is held annually in May.

(The information on this page is courtesy of Holy Rosary Catholic Church. www.hrkcmo.com)